Dear Advice Annie,

My name is Mildred and I am having a problem. I am smart, funny and athletic, but the people outside of my school think I’m dumb, poor and come from a bad home. I know that I’m nothing like what they think, but it makes me angry that people just assume these things. Sometimes I really feel bad. What should I do?

Misunderstood MildredSoaring High, NC

Block Schedule

What is a Block?

Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which

students have fewer classes per day for a longer period of time. This is intended to result in more time for

teaching due to less time wasted due to class switching and preparation.

Why the Block?EOG Test Results

% of Proficient Students

Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Overall

Reading

Math Reading

Math Reading

Math Reading

Math

Our School 64 36 79 41 79 43 79 42

District 81 55 86 56 87 57 84 57

State 83 65 86 64 88 65 86 66

Why the Block?

Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Overall

Reading

Math Reading

Math Reading

Math Reading

Math

Our School 64 36 79 41 79 43 79 4271st Classical School

>95 77 >95 84 >95 94 >95 84

Lewis Chapel Middle

79 42 82 36 81 35 80 37

Luther Nick Jeralds

66 46 78 50 83 52 76 49

Ramsey Street Alternative School

48 10 65 15 70 18 63 15

EOG Test Results

% of Proficient Students

In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird. Said to live for over 500 years, the phoenix is a bird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being considered immortal and invincible It is believed that tears from a phoenix can heal wounds. The phoenix often symbolizes fire, divinity, death and resurrection. As a sacred symbol in Egyptian religion, the phoenix represents the sun, which dies each night and rises again each morning.

WHAT CAN WE DO THAT CAN GIVE US THE REPUTATION OF THE PHOENIX?

What are some characteristics possessed by a person who would be

described as a phoenix? Think of someone who could be considered a

phoenix and tell why.

Success Scenario 1Dear Advice Annie:

I am having trouble trying to figure out what to do about my bad grades. It’s getting close to the end of the school year and I need to pass four core classes and both End of Grade Tests to be promoted to the 9th grade. My grades have been borderline all year. I really want to graduate from high school and I don’t want to be embarrassed by being at the middle school in the SAME GRADE next year. What can I do?

Worried Wallace

Fayetteville, NC

Success Scenario 2Dear Advice Annie:

We have a couple of weeks left in school. Our principal has planned some fun activities for us and I really, really want to participate. The problem is if we have any discipline problems our names appear on the non-participation list. There are 2 girls in my homeroom who keep talking about me and trying to start drama with some of my friends. I am ready to confront both of them but I know it might end up in a fight. This is my last year at this school and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to do fun things with my classmates. What is a girl to do?

Feeling Froggy Freda

Fayetteville, NC

Success Scenario 3Dear Advice Annie:

Last year I made 2’s on both my End of Grade tests. That is not considered proficient by the state. I have to do better this year or I might fail my grade! We are having tutoring for the End of Grade test on Saturday, but I like to sleep late and I might miss the new episodes of Spongebob. Plus, my friends might call me a lame. This is a hard decision for me. What do you think I should do?

Sam “Squarepants” Smith

Fayetteville, NC

Success Scenario 4Dear Advice Annie:

I need your help right away! Fred, Chico and Herman are going to skip school three times a week in April. Chico’s brother lets him drive his car while he is at school. They have asked me to join them, all I have to do is put in a little gas money. The problem is, we have block schedule coming up soon and for every one day of school you miss its like missing 2 or 3 days! Do I have fun riding around, or do I get my mind right for the End of Grade tests?

Down to Ride Roy

Fayetteville, NC

Lori’s mom stayed awake with the sick baby all night but found herself in quite the

stupor the next day. STUPOR means:

a. Tired state b. Awakec. Enthusiastic d. Energetic

What’s Missing?

1.The dog ran to fetch the ______.

2.The customers ____ about the product because they were so dissatisfied.

3.I thought camp food would be gross, but actually I found it to be quite _____.

4.“Come to the kitchen at ____,” shouted his brother.

What’s Missing?

5.It was so cold in the room that I put on my coat, ___, and gloves.

6.Look how ___ that dog is! I think that’s the smallest dog I’ve ever seen!

7.The crowd ___ as their favorite team entered the field.

8.They ____ a lot of their time playing when they should have been working.

What is a Context Clue?

You can use context clues to help you find the meaning of

an unknown word. The context of a word is the

words and sentences nearby.

Using Context Clues

We were all ecstatic.What does the word

ecstatic mean? Can you figure it out from this

sentence? Why or why not?

Unless you already know the word, you can’t work out its meaning from only

this sentence.

Now read this selection.

We just arrived at the playoffs. We had the best tickets we have ever had!

Our team played wonderfully and they won.

We were ecstatic.What does the word ecstatic mean? Can you figure it out from this selection? Why or

why not?

If you read the selection carefully, you can figure out what ecstatic means.

It means happy and excited. The words and

sentences around it help you to work out this

meaning. You were able to figure out what the

word ecstatic means from the context of the

selection.

The Replacement Test

Suppose you use context clues to guess the meaning of a strange word. How can you check

your guess?

Use The Replacement Test! Try these three simple steps:

Take the strange word out of the sentence.

Replace it with your guess. (You may have to reword the sentence a little)

See if your guess makes sense in the sentence. If it does, it is probably correct.

Practice Exercise 1

At first I thought Harvey was really eccentric. He always wears old

clothes, and outside of school he’s always wearing his football helmet. But now that I’ve come to know him, I’ve gotten used to him. He does not

seem quite as eccentric anymore.

What does ECCENTRIC mean?

A.Angry

B.Happy

C.Strange

D.Sad

You can tell from the context of the selection that the writer did not think that Harvey was angry, happy or sad. So choices A, B and D are incorrect. Wearing old

clothes and a football helmet are the context clues that help you figure out that eccentric means STRANGE. The correct answer choice is

C.

Practice Exercise 2

May was the most vulnerable person I have ever known. If something went wrong she would just fall to pieces.

Others would rider out the bad times and come through, but she just fell apart. I could never figure out why this happened, but it was certainly

hard to watch.

What does VULNERABLE mean?

A. Brief

B. Beautiful

C. Strong

D. Weak

Practice Exercise 3

The dark clouds were a caveat of the coming storm. It was not the only

warning we received. The town tornado alarm sounded soon after and gave us enough notice to seek

shelter.

What does CAVEAT mean?

A. Celebration

B. Withdrawal

C. Keep

D. Warning

Practice Exercise 4

Famous conquistadors include Cortes, who conquered Aztec Mexico and

Pizarro, who conquered Inca Peru.

What does CONQUISTADORS mean?

A. Losers

B. Conquerors

C. Geographers

D. Victims

Practice Exercise 5

In court, Carl defended himself against spurious accusations that he robbed the local bank. The truth was

revealed when the real crook was arrested.

What does SPURIOUS mean?

A. False

B. Genuine

C. True

D. Correct

Practice Exercise 6

No matter what is going on in Mary’s life, she always remains nonchalant,

or calm.

What does NONCHALANT mean?

A. Alive

B. Bitter

C. Angry

D. Calm

Practice Exercise 7

Vicissitudes, such as circumstances, developments, or journeys, or

journeys in life, can change a person forever.

What does VICISSITUDES mean?

A. Life experiences

B. Vacations

C. Families

D. Clock

Practice Exercise 8

Johnny was besotted by not checking the depth of water before he jumped in, but it was a good thing that his

father was wise and checked it first.

What does BESOTTED mean?

A. Unaware

B. Decent

C. Incomplete

D. Foolish

Practice Exercise 9

The valiant solider saved many men in his platoon unlike others who have

been cowardly during wartime.

What does VALIANT mean?

A. Brave

B. United

C. Stupid

D. Nice

CONTEXT CLUE QUIZ

Quiz #1

The hike was a strenuous one. Afterward I felt very sore and wanted to go to bed to take a nap.

What does STRENUOUS mean?

A. Short

B. Easy

C. Pleasant

D. Demanding

Quiz #2Lu-wei left her dog Wonder-Girl with Rudolfo when she went

away. Rudolfo first gave Wonder-Girl a big can of dog chow, and when that wasn’t enough, he gave her two more cans. Still, Wonder-Girl didn’t seem to be slowing down at all. He

tried giving her a cold hamburger from the refrigerator, and it disappeared in a moment. Wonder-Girl didn’t seem any less

hungry. Rudolfo called Lu-Wei and said, “Your dog’s stomach is a bottomless pit.”

What does “BOTTOMLESS PIT” mean?

A. it is dirty

B. it can never be filled

C. it is a disease

D. it is a big circle

Quiz #3

Sentence 1: He loved to play with his dog, Bighead.

Sentence 2: She went to the ball game and ate a hot dog.

Sentence 3: This project is turning into a real dog.

Sentence 4: His bad temper continued to dog him all his life.

Which sentence uses the word DOG to mean a frankfurter?

A. Sentence 1

B. Sentence 2

C. Sentence 3

D. Sentence 4

Quiz #4

What does REDISTRIBUTE mean?

A. divide places into districts

B. give out again

C. destroy valuable things

D. praising someone over and over

Quiz #5

What does SUSPENSEFUL mean?

A. like a movie

B. hanging from something

C. full of suspense

D. unclear

Quiz #6

My family bought a rustic house in the woods when we were just kids. We used to go there for weekends to

get out of the city.

Which word would you use to substitute for the word HOUSE in this sentence?

A. dwelling

B. cabin

C. residence

D. abode

Quiz #7

Which word is similar to HOUSE but means “a house that is very large”?

A. cottage

B. lean-to

C. shack

D. mansion

What exactly is What exactly is goobledygookgoobledygook? ?

Use it in a Use it in a sentence.sentence.

EOG Question Stems for EOG Question Stems for CONTEXT CLUESCONTEXT CLUES

Based on the context of paragraph _____, what does _____ mean?

Which word would be best substituted for the word _____ in paragraph/line _____?

What does the word _____ mean in paragraph _____?

Which clue helped you determine the meaning of the word _____ as it is used in this selection?

When the author uses the word _____, which meaning does he/she want you to associate with it?

What is another meaning for the word _____?

EOG Question Stems for EOG Question Stems for CONTEXT CLUESCONTEXT CLUES

Context Clue Practice ActivityUse the context clues to decide on the meaning of

the unfamiliar word in each sentence.

1.The pen is broken so throw it in the corbeille. 2.The dentist told me I have a cavity. He also told me

I must brosser my teeth at least twice a day. 3.Write this down because I do not want you to oublier it.

4.My grandma lives on a farm and has lots of farm animals. When I spend the night with her I am always awakened by the coq early in the morning.

5.She cleaned up her room so lentement that I thought it would take her all day to get the job done.

Context Clue Practice Exercise

TEAM COMPETITION ACTIVITY

Context Clue Practice Exercise

If we don’t collaborate on the plan, it will never work because too many of us won’t work

together.

What does COLLABORATE mean?

A. work together

B. friendly

C. socialize

D. harm

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The insidious burglar was able to sneak into the house without being seen or heard.

What does INSIDIOUS mean?

A. Strong

B. Sneaky

C. Clumsy

D. Loud

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Mary always brought a sense of serenity home with her because of her calm ways, while Max

brought a sense of chaos with him.

What does SERENITY mean?

A. Calmness

B. Chaos

C. Disorder

D. Confusion

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The lead dog was so incompetent that he had to be replaced by one that was more useful to the

pack.

What does INCOMPETENT mean?

A. Adventurous

B. Useless

C. Intact

D. Accurate

Context Clue Practice Exercise

In court, Carl defended himself against spurious accusations that he had robbed the local bank. The truth was revealed when the real crook was

arrested.

What does SPURIOUS mean?

A. False

B. Correct

C. Genuine

D. True

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Grandmother was punctilious; that is, she was very strict about her grandchildren following

good manners.

What does PUNCTILIOUS mean?

A. Bad-mannered

B. Weak

C. Careless

D. Strict in observing good manners

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The cavalry, such as the Confederate soldiers, rode into towns to defend their values.

What does CAVALRY mean?

A. Meadow

B. Generous

C. Frontier

D. Horse soldiers

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Mom is going to be so mad when she finds out that Peter broke her fragile, or easily broken,

lamp.

What does FRAGILE mean?

A. Easily broken

B. Purple

C. Strong

D. Too expensive

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Brian’s project is supposed to oscillate, or swing, back and forth.

What does OSCILLATE mean?

A. Swing

B. Remain still

C. Rest

D. Never move

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Larceny, such as stealing a car, can cause you to spend a lot of time in jail.

What does LARCENY mean?

A. Conflict

B. Murder

C. Bravery

D. Theft

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The lists comprise of seven rules, but talking while you mouth is open is not included.

What does COMPRISE mean?

A. Include

B. Brain

C. Summarize

D. Value

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The Amish are very humble people, unlike the uppity people in the surrounding communities.

What does UPPITY mean?

A. Spiteful

B. Reformed

C. Relieved

D. Stuck-up

Context Clue Practice Exercise

In order to avoid a lawsuit, Bridgett made recompense for the damage caused in the

accident. The money she paid was much less than what was being demanded.

What does RECOMPENSE mean?

A. Reward

B. Compensation

C. Penalty

D. Damage

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Katie appeared infallible in math class because she had never gotten a problem wrong.

What does INFALLIBLE mean?

A. Incorrect

B. Mistaken

C. Never wrong

D. Wrong

Context Clue Practice Exercise

The camaraderie in the class made it feel like a big family.

What does CAMARADERIE mean?

A. Resentment

B. Friendliness or kindness

C. Unkindness

D. Anger

Context Clue Practice Exercise

I had to stop and think about the unfathomable quote of the day.

What does UNFATHOMABLE mean?

A. Clear

B. Easy

C. Deep or profound

D. Simple

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Plants from the arbutus group, such as flowering trees and shrubs with berries, grow mainly in

North America.

What does ARBUTUS mean?

A. Fruit

B. Vegetable

C. Group or trees and shrubs

D. Flower

Context Clue Practice Exercise

Houses and other dwellings can be made of many materials. Dwellings are built to ______ people.

A. Find

B. Trick

C. Feed

D. Shelter

E. Recognize

Context Clue Practice Exercise

An astronomer is a person who studies the stars and planets. Astronomers often look at

the ________.

A. Beach

B. Soil

C. Mirror

D. Field

E. Sky

Context Clue Practice Exercise

A microphone is a device that makes sounds louder. People who use microphones can be

_______ more easily.

A. Seen

B. Heard

C. Found

D. Weighed

E. Lifted